While there has always been a strong partnership between academic and professional services staff, over the last 5 years there has been more emphasis on the partnership in areas such as academic engagement and technical enhanced learning. This has seen new types of roles emerging such as student experience roles, professional services welfare tutors, technology enhanced learning expertise to support distance learning/MOOCs and new services such as support for academic writing/maths. This close partnership between academic and professional services staff has been the catalyst for the success of these initiatives across the sector. Effective partnerships are likely to become more important as we continue to consider how we can free up academic time for the core activities of teaching and research, in particular for face- to- face delivery which will always be valued by students.
Effective partnerships must indeed be the key and I am sure as we look ahead to 2026 there will be a whole new range of roles that bridge professional-academic.
One example: ‘Learning Technologists’ who are experts in pedagogy and enabling technologies. There will undoubtedly be a shortage of these people but without them – we won’t get the most from the capacity of digital technologies in education. Should we be training these people now? Should we develop a new degree?
There is a wealth of current expertise within the TEL HUB and individual college Tel Teams who can assist with current and future enabling technologies and pedagogy, and who are prepared to provide help and guidance on cross college projects where necessary.
partnership / collaboration / networked
These are important facets to modern learning and organisation, but we need to get better at it.
It requires good foundations for dynamic communications (email is dead). And be aware of the dangers of bad communication (isolation , misinformation, click groups)
New communication packages
https://products.office.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/group-chat-software
https://slack.com/
Should we develop a new degree? Yes, most definitely.
Its much needed and much sought after from many disciplines (everybody seems to be monetising their skill through an educational course nowerdays, there is a demand for good quality learning outside ‘education’)
Having completed my MA Digital Technologies, Communication and Education (the only course in UK) and seen the ‘variety’ of people on the course (private and public sector). It can see this being extremly poplular and will help better understand the rather nuanced role of ‘Learning Technologist’, a job that never existed 10+ years ago.
http://www.manchester.ac.uk/study/masters/courses/list/06954/ma-digital-technologies-communication-and-education/
As a qualified teacher and a learning technologist of 5 years. I am in the process of putting together my own course (with guidance from MA:DTCE programme director) which will draw in all the facets of history, theories, emerging technology, A/V and web skills – but with ‘real life’ outcomes and research we can draw from and develop further.
Exiting times to be a ‘Learning Technologist’… watch this space.